A little over three hundred years ago, “fast communication” meant two people standing in the same place… or someone spending three days handwriting a letter with the kind of pen that required actual feathers.
Then, in the late 1600s, the United States Post Office was born.
Suddenly, you could mail a message across the country—sure, it might arrive sometime between next month and next season, but it was revolutionary.
When Business Was Personal
For most of history, communication looked like this:
- lunch meetings
- handshakes
- eye contact
- long drives and longer flights to meet clients in person
And because of that, people felt like they really knew each other.
Relationships weren’t just maintained—they were strengthened over meals, conversations, and actual human presence.
Then… Everything Changed
Fast-forward to today.
We have:
- smartphones
- texting
- Zoom
- Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter (and whatever launches tomorrow)
Communication is now instant.
You can send a message across the world faster than it used to take to dip a quill in ink.
And yes—there are huge benefits to this.
But with every improvement comes a new kind of problem.
The Upside—and the Downside
Technology helps us:
- communicate faster
- reach more people
- stay connected anywhere
But it also creates a new challenge:
We can now communicate everywhere… which means we try to communicate all the time.
Have you ever met someone for the first time and spent the whole conversation talking to the top of their head because they were staring at their phone?
Or tried to have a meaningful discussion while someone was:
- texting
- scrolling
- emailing
- checking notifications
- or replying to a group chat mid-sentence?
It’s not just awkward—it destroys real communication.
Fake Face Time Isn’t Face Time
Even when we are face-to-face, we’re often not truly present.
It’s not quality time if:
- the phone keeps buzzing
- screens keep lighting up
- conversations keep getting interrupted
A distracted conversation is barely a conversation at all.
The Truth We Can’t Escape
There will never be a substitute for real, live, undivided communication between people.
But technology isn’t the enemy—lack of control is.
Used well, technology helps us.
Used poorly, it interrupts, distracts, and weakens every interaction we have.
So What’s the Solution?
Create a system—personally and organizationally—where communication is treated as important enough to protect.
That means:
- no distractions during calls, meetings, or conversations
- no phones on the table
- no multitasking while someone is talking
- full presence, every time
And don’t just apply this yourself—insist on it with others.
When an entire organization commits to distraction-free communication:
- productivity increases
- relationships improve
- problems get solved faster
- and people actually feel heard
Technology will keep evolving.
New platforms will appear.
Communication will get faster and flashier.
But the companies—and people—who win are the ones who remember:
Tools don’t create communication.
Attention does.
